Feb 9, 2006 9:09 pm US/Central
Former Alderman's Son Killed In Fire
by Mike Flannery
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
A house fire on Chicago's Northwest Side led firefighters to discover a body inside the home of late Ald. Roman Pucinski this afternoon. Now, family members are mourning the loss of Pucinski's son.
Christopher Pucinski, 48, apparently died of severe burns, Newsradio 780 reports.
The Chicago Fire Department said a heavy fire started at the bungalow-style house at 6301 N. Louise in the Roman Pucinski Forest Preserve. It took a half-hour for firefighters to strike the blaze.
After an aggressive attack, a search was conducted and a body was found near the back of the building, where there was heavy fire.
The Fire Department believes the fire started in an office. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Fire destroyed two rooms on the second floor of the home where Chris Pucinski lived alone. Still unexplained is how the man died in a blaze that was fairly limited.
His sister, Judge Aurelia Pucinski, spoke for the family.
"We have been a public family all of my life, and I think that I expected and I respected the respect that you men and women do and I respect that people are curious about what happens in our lives," she said. "We loved him very much we're going to miss him, but tragedies like this happen in families all over the country."
She says she and her family will remember Christopher as a lovable guy with a goofy sense of humor.
The Pucincskis have been one of Chicago's most prominent Polish families for the better part of a century.
Chris Pucinski did have two drug-related convictions, one for distribution, one for possession. He was pardoned in 2002 by former Gov. George Ryan.
Alderman and Congressman Roman Pucinski was the dead man's father. Roman Pucinski served as the 41st Ward alderman for 18 years. Pucinski died Sept. 25, 2002 and began his public service career as a WWII Army pilot. Before becoming alderman, Pucinski served six terms in Congress, his first starting in 1959. He left Congress in 1973 to become alderman.
Roman's mother was a Chicago radio host who had a popular show among the city's Polish community.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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